Which, yes, are straight. (Thanks for some dentist deciding, back before I had boobs, to remove 12 permanent (adult) teeth from my mouth so there wouldn't be 'crowding'.)

But.

Gums.

And bad roots.

And discolouration.

And aging.

And small mouth, no lips.

All of this equals me being a nob about my lower facial region.

And now? I'm going to have another permanent tooth removed?

Will it cause all the others to shift?

Will I end up with a huge gap in my tooth-line that everyone will see?

I did some experimenting. To see for myself.

In the end, after all that self analysis, I put my usual smile back on and drove over to the party:

Also.

I think it's time for a new phone cover.

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Half of the cost of getting that tooth extracted, a bone grafted (bones come from a bone bank. Human bone dust, swine bone dust and bovine bone dust EWWWWWWWW), a peg implanted and another crown plunked on top is covered by my dental plan. STILL. Is a tooth worth $2500?

2. I have older friends who are showing me the way. The way to age. The way to do family. The way to have friends. The way to smile.

3 comments:

That last selfie, with a big real smile...you look about 10 years younger, and 100% happier, than you do with your Mona Lisa smile. Sounds like we have many of the same dental,issues. I have 23 teeth in my mouth. Have you ever tried oil pulling for your gum health? I was doing it for awhile, before our move and noticed a difference. Then I got lazy.

1. I really think your toothy smile is lovely. For reals.2. My husband had a dental implant done last year -one of his two front teeth - and the whole thing went much more easily than anticipated. The only hard part was paying for it! We have NO dental coverage and he has recently been told he needs three more implants!3. I told him that if we invest that much money in his teeth he better use that smile. A LOT.

The photos look great. Everyone really does look like they had a great time at the party. I mean, look at those lovely smiles. Anyway, it's a good thing that your dental plan covered the cost of all your oral issues. That's a pretty handy insurance. Thanks for sharing that, Jane! All the best to you! :)